Scroll tray mechanism for cellular telephone

ABSTRACT

A system and method of navigating a mobile device display includes highlighting a first icon in a main portion of the mobile device display. The main portion is traversed to a tertiary tray. The tertiary tray includes at least one scroll button and a second icon. The second icon is selected. A single navigation key is used to traverse the main portion and to highlight the second icon.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/460,0052 filed on Apr. 2, 2003 and entitled “ContextBased Main Screen for Mobile Device,” and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/460,041 filed on Apr. 2, 2003 and entitled “Systemand Method for Advanced Service Interaction,” and U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/445,763, filed on Feb. 7, 2003 and entitled“Modularization of Wireless Device Code Components and Custom DesignIntegration of Java and Non-Java Code Components” by Lee et al., whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates generally to mobile devices, and moreparticularly to software and systems for user interfaces on mobiledevices.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Although, cellular telephone systems have traditionally beenutilized to provide voice data communication, additional data services,such as Internet access and scheduling, are being made increasinglyavailable to mobile device subscribers. For example, FIG. 1 is a blockdiagram of an exemplary cellular telephone system 100. The cellulartelephone system 100 includes a mobile device 102, such as a cellularphone, which is in communication with a carrier network 104. The carriernetwork 104 supplies the network and other elements to enable the mobiledevice 102 to interact with the internal services 106 and externalservices 108 available via the carrier system 104.

[0006] For example, the carrier network 104 typically can include anumber of fixed base station transceivers, which mobile devices 102communicate with via radio channels. However, the number of radiochannels that the operator is permitted to use is limited, and theregenerally is not enough for each mobile device 102 in the network to becarried on a different channel. Thus, the carrier network 104 reuseschannels, that is, at any time many base stations may be receiving andtransmitting on each channel. The coverage area of each radio basestation is often referred to as a “cell.”

[0007] As mentioned above, in addition to voice services, data servicesare being made increasingly available to mobile device subscribers.Thus, in addition to voice data services, such as voice mail, telephonecall back, and three-way calling, carrier networks 104 are beginning toprovide additional electronic data to users in various ways. Exemplarydata services can include calendaring facilities, book buying services,Internet browsing, and text messaging. As mobile devices 102 become moresophisticated, the mobile devices 102 can execute software applications,which can be front ends for data services.

[0008] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the carrier network 104 may provideinternal services 106, which are data services provided directly fromthe carrier network 104. For example, internal services can includecalendaring facilities, instant messaging, and other services that thecarrier network 104 provider is capable of providing to subscribers. Toprovide additional data services, the carrier network 104 can partnerwith third party providers of external services 108. Each externalservice 108 actually runs the service, and the carrier network 104facilitates usage of the service to its subscribers by provisioning theservice throughout the carrier network 104. In this manner, subscriberscan interact with the external services 108 using their mobile devices102, such as their cellular telephones.

[0009] Often Carrier Networks 104 are proficient at providing particularclasses of data services, such as scheduling and instant messaging. Forother services, the carrier network 104 relies on the external serviceproviders 108. These external service providers 108 generally provideservices to the carrier network 104, which can charge subscribers morefor the services. The carrier network provider 104 is then charged, inturn, by the external service providers 108. These external servicesthen appear as part of the carrier network services to the subscriber.

[0010] Unfortunately, full utilization of data services has notoccurred, most notably because of the difficulty many users experiencein using data services on a mobile device and a lack of data servicemanagement capabilities of carrier networks. For example, many high-endcellular phones include an Internet browser. However, the startup timefor the browser often is long. In addition, from the point of view ofthe user, the user is required to do a very technical operation instarting up the browser, going to a bookmark or remembering a URL, andtyping all the required information into the phone. If the user islucky, a text messaging service may be available through their carriernetwork. However, to use such a service, the user generally is requiredto close down the browser, navigate the various menus to find themessaging icon, and select the icon to begin the text messaging service.In addition, multiple external services often are difficult for acarrier network service. That is, carrier networks often experiencedifficulties in managing the various service relationships betweenservices provided by the external service providers. So aggregating theservices that user will ultimately see on their mobile device isdifficult for carrier networks to manage.

[0011] Thus, a major inhibitor to data service utilization is the lackof a seamless, intuitive, easy user experience with data service usageon the mobile device. That is, a user is required to have a relativelyin depth technical knowledge of the phone and carrier capabilities toutilize the data services. For example, to utilize an external bookpurchasing service, the user is required to know that they must startupthe Internet browser, select the appropriate URL, and navigate to theappropriate purchase section of the related web site.

[0012] In view of the foregoing, there is a need for techniques thatprovide an improved user interface with and access to data services onmobile devices. The improved user interface should be intuitive and userfriendly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Broadly speaking, the present invention fills these needs byproviding an improved user interface for a mobile computing device. Itshould be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented innumerous ways, including as a process, an apparatus, a system, computerreadable media, or a device. Several inventive embodiments of thepresent invention are described below.

[0014] On embodiment includes a method of navigating a mobile devicedisplay that includes highlighting a first icon in a main portion of themobile device display. The main portion is traversed to a tertiary tray.The tertiary tray includes at least one scroll button and a second icon.The second icon is selected. A single navigation key is used to traversethe main portion and to highlight the second icon.

[0015] The tertiary tray can be adjacent to a horizontal edge of themobile device display. In one embodiment, the tertiary tray is orientedhorizontally.

[0016] The method can also include selecting the scroll button such thata third icon is displayed in the tertiary tray. Selecting the scrollbutton can include shifting the second icon. Shifting the second iconcan include not displaying the second icon in the tertiary tray.

[0017] Traversing the main portion to the tertiary tray can includetraversing the main portion to a tertiary tab and opening the tertiarytray by highlighting the tertiary tab. Opening the tertiary tray caninclude covering at least part of the main portion of the mobile devicedisplay. Covering at least part of the main portion of the mobile devicedisplay can include covering at least part of the first icon. Openingthe tertiary tray can also includes rearranging at least part of themain portion of the mobile device display. Opening a tertiary tray caninclude scaling at least part of the main portion of the mobile devicedisplay. Opening a tertiary tray can include shifting at least part ofthe main portion of the mobile device display.

[0018] The method can also include selecting the second icon. Selectingthe second icon can cause the second icon to be displayed in the mainportion of the mobile device display. Selecting the second icon caninitiate an application or service that corresponds to the second icon.Selecting the second icon can also close the tertiary tray. Displayingthe second icon in the main portion of the mobile device display caninclude removing the first icon from the main portion of the mobiledevice display. Displaying the second icon in the main portion of themobile device display can include moving the first icon in the mainportion of the mobile device display.

[0019] One embodiment includes a mobile device display. The mobiledevice display includes a main portion and a tertiary tray. The mainportion includes a first icon. The first icon represents at least one ofa service or an application. Tertiary tray includes a second icon and atleast one scroll button. A single navigation key is used to traverse themain portion to the second icon in the tertiary tray. The mobile devicedisplay can be included in a mobile device.

[0020] The main portion can include a first set of icons including thefirst icon and the tertiary tray can include a second set of icons. Thefirst set of icons is a subset of the second set of icons.

[0021] The mobile device display can also include a tertiary tab linkedto the tertiary tray. The tertiary tray is not displayed until thetertiary tab is highlighted.

[0022] Another embodiment includes a method of navigating a mobiledevice display. The method includes highlighting a first icon in a mainportion of the mobile device display. The main portion is traversed to atertiary tray that includes a second icon and at least one scrollbutton. The second icon is highlighted. A single navigation key is usedto traverse the main portion and to highlight the second icon. Thetertiary tray is traversed to highlight the scroll button. The scrollbutton is selected such that a third icon is displayed in the tertiarytray. The third icon is selected. Selecting the third icon initiates acorresponding application or service.

[0023] Other aspects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The present invention will be readily understood by the followingdetailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, andlike reference numerals designate like structural elements.

[0025]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary cellular telephonesystem.

[0026]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a cellular telephone systemhaving advanced service interaction, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

[0027]FIG. 3 is an illustration showing an exemplary context baseddisplay for a mobile device, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

[0028]FIG. 4 is an illustration showing an exemplary context baseddisplay having tertiary icons exhibited, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

[0029]FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary home page mobile device displayfor services managed via service management system, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

[0030]FIG. 5B illustrates an exemplary news data service display, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031]FIG. 5C illustrates an exemplary sports section of a news dataservice, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032]FIG. 5D illustrates exemplary game scores for an exemplary user'sfavorite hockey team, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0033]FIG. 5E illustrates an exemplary query display for a hockey dataservice, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034]FIG. 5F illustrates an exemplary hockey icon added to a user'shome page, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035]FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing exemplary functional blockscomprising service management system, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention.

[0036]FIG. 7A is a flowchart diagram that illustrates the methodoperations performed in navigating in a context-based display, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0037]FIG. 7B is an exemplary mobile device, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIGS. 8A-8L show a mobile device display in accordance with oneor more embodiments of the present invention.

[0039]FIG. 9 is a flowchart diagram that illustrates the methodoperations performed in navigating in a tertiary tray in thecontext-based display, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0040]FIG. 10A shows an alternative embodiment of the tertiary tray thatincludes a scrolling capability (e.g., scroll arrows), in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

[0041]FIG. 10B shows an additional icon displayed in the tertiary tray,as the tertiary tray is scrolled, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

[0042]FIG. 11 is a flowchart diagram that illustrates the methodoperations performed in selecting an icon in the tertiary tray, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] FIGS. 12A-12C show alternative embodiments of selecting an iconin the tertiary tray to be displayed in the main portion of the display.

[0044]FIG. 13 shows a device stack capable of supporting the userinterface display 800, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0045]FIG. 14 shows a device stack for a mobile device capable ofsupporting the user interface display, in accordance with one embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0046] Several exemplary embodiments for an improved user interface anddisplay will now be described. Embodiments of the present inventionintegrate systems and software to manage and integrate for example,multiple data services and applications for a context-based display on amobile device. In the following description, numerous specific detailsare set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of thepresent invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in theart that the present invention may be practiced without some or all ofthese specific details. In other instances, well known process stepshave not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscurethe present invention.

[0047] One embodiment of the present invention includes a context-basedmain display screen such as may be used on a mobile device or otherdevice. Another embodiment divides the main display screen into a mainportion and a second portion. The second portion can be animated so asto open when a user selects the second portion. The main portion of thescreen can include user-selected icons that represent data services andapplications. The second portion can also include icons. The secondportion can also include a scrolling capability so that the secondportion can include more icons than can be displayed at one time. Whilethe following description of the present invention is described in termsof cellular telephone systems, it should be understood that embodimentsof the present invention are not limited to cellular telephone systemsor cellular telephone handsets. By way of example the present inventioncan be deployed on a personal digital assistant (PDA) connected to acomputer network (e.g., the Internet, Ethernet, etc.). The networkconnection can be via any of the various wired and wireless protocols(e.g., Ethernet, IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, etc.).

[0048]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a cellular telephone system 200having advanced service interaction, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. The cellular telephone system 200 includes amobile device 202, such as a cellular phone, which is in communicationwith a carrier network provider 204. The carrier network provider 204supplies the network and other elements to enable the mobile device 202to interact with the internal services 206 and external services 208available via the carrier network provider 204.

[0049] For example, as described above, the carrier network provider 204typically can include a number of fixed base station transceivers, withwhich mobile devices 202 communicate via radio channels. However, thenumber of radio channels that the operator is permitted to use islimited, and there generally is not enough for each mobile device 202 inthe network to be carried on a different channel. Thus, the carriernetwork 204 reuses channels, that is, at any time many base stations maybe transmitting and receiving on each channel. The coverage area of eachradio base station is often referred to as a “cell.”

[0050] Embodiments of the present invention manage and integrateservices using service management system spread across the components ofthe system 200. In one embodiment, the service management systemincludes client service management software 210 installed on the mobiledevices 202 of the system, and carrier service management software 212located within the carrier network 204. In addition, the servicemanagement system can include external service management software 214,which is located at the external service providers 208. Although FIG. 2illustrates the service management software allocated between the mobiledevices 202, carrier network 204, and external services 208, it shouldbe noted that the embodiments of the present invention can be embodiedon any one or two elements of the system 200. By way of example, whilethe cellular telephone system 200 includes internal services 206 andexternal services 208, it should be understood that the user interfaceand display, described in more detail below, may also provide access toapplications and functions wholly contained within the mobile device 202

[0051] The service management system of one embodiment of the presentinvention provides a seamless, intuitive, and easy user experience withdata services on mobile devices 202. As will be explained in greaterdetail below, embodiments of the present invention provide data servicesto users based on user specific information, including user contextinformation. Broadly speaking, the carrier provider 204 stores profileinformation regarding individual subscribers. In addition, the carrierprovider can store information regarding each individual subscriber'sservice usage patterns, such as, what services the individual uses, whenthey use each service, and how often each service is utilized. Based onthe above user information and stored descriptions of the data servicesavailable on the system 202, embodiments of the present inventiondisplay data services to subscribers in a manner that the subscriber ismost likely to utilize the data services. Furthermore, as will bedescribed in greater detail below, embodiments of the present inventionrecognize usage patterns and data convergence to further enhance theusers experience.

[0052]FIG. 3 is an illustration showing an exemplary context baseddisplay 300 for a mobile device, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. As discussed above, the context-based display 300 canbe applied to any type of mobile device (e.g., cellular telephone, PDA).As will be described in greater detail below, the context-based display300 can be generated utilizing context aware information in at least onembodiment. Hence, the information displayed on the context-baseddisplay 300 may be dependent on, for example, the time of day, locationof the user, usage patterns, and preferences.

[0053] The context-based display 300 presents services and applicationsto users utilizing icons. In the example of FIG. 3, the icons aredisplayed in various locations on the context-based display 300dependent on predicted usage. In particular, each icon can be presentedin a primary position 302, secondary position 304, or tertiary position306. In the example of FIG. 3, the icons located at the tertiarypositions 306 are hidden within a tertiary tray accessed via a tertiarytab 308, however, it should be noted that the tertiary tray is only anexample of tertiary icon placement. As such, icons displayed in tertiarypositions can be presented in any manner, such as on a side of thedisplay, transparently, or in any other manner that conveys tertiaryimportance.

[0054] The icon located at the primary position 302 represents theservice or application that the service management system currentlypredicts the user is primarily interested in. In one embodiment, theicon located at the primary position 302 generally is displayed using arelatively larger icon than the icons located in the secondary positions304. In addition, the icon located at the primary position 302 can becentrally located to further convey its importance. It should be noted,however, that the icon at the primary position 302 could be presented tothe user in any manner that conveys the predicted primary interest inthe service or application.

[0055] The icons in the secondary positions 304 represent services andapplications that the service management system predicts the user alsois currently interested in, although less interested in as the servicerepresented by the icon in the primary position 302. Finally, icons atthe tertiary position 306 represent additional or even all of theservices and applications available to the user.

[0056] In addition to using positional data to assist the user inservice and application selection, the service management system alsoprovides informational icon labels 310. Each informational icon label310 presents specific information regarding the state of that particularservice or application as it applies to the user. For example, an iconrepresenting a news service may have an informational icon labeldisplaying a current headline for the user. In the example of FIG. 3,the user has a preference for business news information. As such, theinformational icon label 310 for the news service displays the businessheadline “Tech Markets Boom.” Further, the text comprising eachinformational icon label 310 can be automatically updated as the stateof that particular service changes as it applies to the particular user.

[0057] To further assist the user in service and application selection,embodiments of the present invention animate particular icons toindicate additional information regarding the particular service orapplication that the icon represents. Thus, the animated icons areinformational in nature. For example, an icon representing the newsservice or application may initially be displayed as a “rolled up”newspaper. Then, to indicate new news has arrived, the news icon mayanimate to display an “unrolled” newspaper. As another example, a mailicon may display a counter that changes to indicate the number of unreadmessages a user has. As mentioned above, additional icons are displayedin a tertiary position accessed via the tertiary tab 308, as describednext with reference to FIG. 4.

[0058]FIG. 4 is an illustration showing an exemplary context baseddisplay 300 having tertiary icons exhibited, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. When the user selects the tertiarytab 308, a tertiary icon tray 400 is displayed revealing icons in thetertiary positions 306. As mentioned above, icons at the tertiaryposition 306 can represent additional services and applicationsavailable to the user that are not already displayed in the primary 302or secondary 304 positions. These are services and applications that theservice management system predicts will not be utilized as soon or asoften as the services and applications represented by the icons in theprimary and secondary positions 302 and 304. Alternatively, the icons atthe tertiary position 306 can represent a complete set of all of theservices and applications available to the user.

[0059] In addition to the icons, embodiments of the present inventioncan display additional information as scrolling text in a ticker tapedisplay 402. The ticker tape display 402 can present additional usefulinformation, such as a weather report and stock quotes, based on theusers current context. Similar to above, the information displayed inthe ticker tape display 402 changes based on changes in the userscurrent context. For example, a particular user may have the day'sweather displayed in ticker tape display 402 in the morning, whilecurrent headlines may be displayed in the ticker tape display 402 in theafternoon.

[0060] As mentioned above, embodiments of the present invention providedata services, applications and data service and application usageanalysis to users based on user specific information. Broadly speaking,in one embodiment, the carrier provider can store profile informationregarding individual users. In addition the carrier provider can storeinformation regarding each individual user's service and applicationusage patterns, such as, what services and applications the individualuses, when they use each service and application, and how often eachservice and application is utilized.

[0061] FIGS. 5A-5F illustrate usage pattern recognition for an exemplarysubscriber who, for example, has viewed hockey reports at 7:30 a.m. forthe last two days. FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary home page mobiledevice display 500 for services managed via service management system,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In theexample of FIG. 5A, five data services are displayed based on the usagepatterns of the particular subscriber owning the mobile device. Forexample in FIG. 5A, the mobile device displays a ski service 502, a newsservice 504, a buddies service 506, a messaging service 508, and acalendaring service 510. As described in greater detail below,embodiments of the present invention store user profile information forindividual subscribers. The data services 502-510 displayed in FIG. 5Aare based on the user profile information of the subscriber owning theparticular mobile device.

[0062] In the example of FIG. 5A the user decides to view the news byselecting the news data service 504. In response, the mobile devicedisplays a news data screen illustrated in FIG. 5B. FIG. 5B illustratesan exemplary news data service display, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. The news service data displayed shows, forexample, a date display 512, current headlines 514, and several newssections 516. Continuing with the above example, the user selects thesports section 516. In response, the mobile device displays the sportssection of the news data service as illustrated in FIG. 5C.

[0063]FIG. 5C illustrates an exemplary sports section of a news dataservice in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Forexample, FIG. 5C illustrates a plurality of sports reports 518. Eachsports report 518 provides information on a particular sport, such as,soccer, hockey, baseball, and golf. Continuing with the above examplethe user selects the hockey report 518 to obtain, for example, therecent hockey scores of their favorite team. As illustrated in FIG. 5Dthe game score for the user's favorite team is displayed for the user.

[0064] At this point the service management system of the embodiments ofthe present invention detects that this particular subscriber has viewedthe hockey sports report 518 at about the same time three days in a row.The service management system detects this as a usage pattern thatsuggests a particular service. In response, the service managementsystem displays a query display 520 as illustrated in FIG. 5E. FIG. 5Eillustrates an exemplary query display 520 for a hockey data service inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The querydisplay 520 queries the user as to whether the user would like to seethe hockey report everyday at 7:30 a.m. Preferably, the query display520 is displayed as if it were part of the hockey screen. That is, thequery display 520 preferably appears to the user as a natural extensionof what they were already doing, in this case, viewing the hockeyreport. Continuing with the above example the user confirms that theywould like to view the hockey reports 518 on a daily basis. In responsea hockey icon 522 is added to the user's home page mobile device display500, as illustrated in FIG. 5F.

[0065]FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing exemplary functional blockscomprising service management system 600, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. As described above, the servicemanagement system 600 can be spread across the components of a carriernetwork system. In one embodiment, the service management systemincludes client service management software installed on the mobiledevices of the system, carrier service management software locatedwithin the carrier network, and external service management softwarelocated at the external service providers. However, as mentionedpreviously, the service management system 600 can be embodied on any oneor more elements of the system.

[0066] Broadly speaking, the service management system 600 encompassesseveral functional elements including a renderer 602, front end 604,delivery module 606, user information system 608, service informationsystem 610, user action proxy 612, service aggregator 614, rankerfilterer 616, and context module 618. Utilizing these functionalelements, the service management system 600 of the embodiments of thepresent invention provides a seamless, intuitive, and easy userexperience with data services on mobile devices.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 6, the renderer 602 interprets a servicemanagement grammar and uses that information to generate a userinterface display, which the user uses to interact with the mobiledevice. The service management grammar is an information format thatencapsulates an abstract representation of any mobile device supportingthe user interface semantics of the embodiments of the presentinvention. In particular, the service management grammar includes theinformation necessary to render device displays, which can displayindividual services in a plurality of different ways. For example, theservice management grammar allows services and applications to bedisplayed in summarized form, such as an icon. In one embodiment, thesummarized form reflects the active state of the service or application,that is, whether the service or application is quiescent, active, needsattention, or has summarized information to display. In addition,service management grammar allows services to be displayed in detailedform, for example, when the service or application is activelydisplaying and gathering information to and from the user. It should benoted that information can be displayed in many different detailedforms, such as scrolling, using the entire screen display, or hiddenwhile still running in the background.

[0068] The renderer 602 can be embodied as part of the client servicemanagement software, the carrier service management software, or both,depending on the needs and desires of the actual system designer. Anyinformation represented on the screen that the user interacts with isrendered using the renderer 602. Also, the renderer 602 translates anyinformation sent from the mobile device to a server in the carriernetwork into the service management grammar. The renderer 602 is incommunication with a front end 604 and a delivery module 606.

[0069] The front-end 604 communicates with backend service managementsoftware components in order to generate service management grammar ondemand. For example, when a mobile device is turned on, the mobiledevice may display a particular screen of information to the user. Inorder to display the screen, the mobile device requests the screen fromthe front end 604. Depending on the context of the request, thefront-end 604 queries appropriate service management system componentsfor the data required to create the requested screen. The front-end 604then responds to the mobile device request with service managementgrammar for the screen. The renderer 602 then interprets the servicemanagement grammar into the screen of information that the user sees onthe mobile device.

[0070] The renderer 602 also communicates with a delivery module 606 toobtain information needed to generate a display for the user. Thedelivery module 606 manages the delivery of large portions of binarydata, such as large image files, MPEG files, and pieces of executablecode. Thus, renderer 602 utilizes both the front-end 604 and thedelivery module 606 to obtain information needed to generate a displayfor the user. For example, to display a movie viewing service, the frontend 604 may provide the service management grammar for a movie selectionpage to the renderer 602, which interprets the service managementgrammar to generate the movie selection screen. When the user selects amovie to watch, the renderer 602 may contact the delivery module 606 toobtain the actual movie viewing software and movie files.

[0071] As mentioned above, the carrier network provider providesinternal services 206 and the external service providers provideexternal services 214. Generally, these services are represented by anicon on the display of the mobile device. However, not all services needto have an icon representation. For example, a telephone call is anexample of a service that does not require icon representation. Asmentioned above, internal services 206 can include, for example,facilities and applications for calendaring, instant messaging, andother services and applications that the carrier network provider iscapable of providing to users. External services 214 can include, forexample, sports news, ski reports, movie services, mapping services, andother services from external service providers, which the carriernetwork provisions throughout the carrier network to facilitate usage ofthe service to subscribers.

[0072] Two information systems are utilized by the embodiments of thepresent invention, namely, the user information system 608 and theservice information system 610. The service information system 610 is aninformation storage that lists all the services, both internal andexternal, that are available through the carrier network. The serviceinformation software 610 can be embodied in a database, a directoryserver, a file system, or any other type of system capable of storingand retrieving data on the services available via the carrier networkand external service providers. Together with the above described listof services, the service information software 610 stores descriptions ofeach listed service, which provides information useful to the system forfacilitating display and provisioning of the service. For example, aservice description can include information on how a particular serviceshould be rendered, such as, should the service be displayed as an icon,a scrolling message, or using the entire screen. In addition, thedescription of a service describes how the service can be utilized withanother service. Further, the description of a service can describe howthe service fits with the carrier's business model. For example, adescription may indicate a particular service is targeted at 18-25 yearold males, or the service should be promoted to current premium members.

[0073] Embodiments of the present invention allow services to beaggregated. For example, a movie service that list movie times andlocation can be aggregated with a location service that provides GPSlocation information and driving directions. In this example, thelocation service can be utilized to determine where the subscriber iscurrently located, and then list movies times for theaters are aparticular distance from the subscriber's current location, for example,within ten miles of the subscriber. To perform service aggregation, thedescription of the movie service includes information indicating thatthe movie service can be utilized in combination with locationinformation, and the location service description can includeinformation indicating that the location service can expose locationinformation to other services.

[0074] A service description can further include information on how theservice operates with carrier network functions. Carrier networkproviders often want users to subscribe to additional services that areavailable via the carrier network. Consequently, carrier networkproviders often want users to be able to easily subscribe to theseadditional services. Thus, service descriptions can include informationregarding when and in what situations the particular service is usefulto subscribers. In this manner, the carrier network can inform usersabout the service when the described situations occur.

[0075] The user information system 608 stores profile informationregarding individual subscribers, such as, an individuals billingpackages, age, credit card number, address, and other user information.In addition, the user information system 408 stores informationregarding the individual's service usage patterns, such as, whatservices the individual uses, when they use each service, and how ofteneach service is utilized. For example, for a particular user, the userinformation system 608 can store information such as the fact that theuser turned on their mobile device at 7:00 a.m. and immediately utilizeda news service for 5 minutes.

[0076] The service management system 600 also includes a user actionproxy 612, which tracks the activities of all the users currentlyconnected to the service management system. For example, when asubscriber utilizes a news service, the user action proxy 612 detectsthe subscriber's usage of the news service. Hence, the user action proxy612 knows what each user is doing online at any particular time. It alsoknows the current state for each service subscribed to by a particularuser and how the state of the service or application is changing basedupon the user's actions. For example, if a user has two messages intheir inbox of their email service, the user action proxy 612 knows theemail service is in an active state because the messages have yet to beread. Other examples include calendaring services, where if the user isnot using the calendaring service and no appointments are set, the useraction proxy 612 knows the service is currently inactive. The useraction proxy 612 stores the tracked user activities in the userinformation system 608.

[0077] In addition, the user action proxy 612 can interpret acombination of service activities to mean a particular event. That is,the user action proxy 612 monitors the services of each user and noticesparticular patterns that may occur within the services. When suchpatterns are detected, the user action proxy 612 can notify the userthat the user should potentially take action regarding the pattern. Forexample, a user may have a note in their “to-do” list on theircalendaring application that says “Call Bob.” In addition, the user mayhave an appointment with Bob at 3:00 p.m. stored in the user's calendar.Then, for example, Bob may call the user and leave a voice mail for theuser. In this example, the user action proxy 612 will notice that Bob isa common theme within the services and applications, and as such, maysend the user an alert indicating something important may be occurringregarding Bob.

[0078] Using the service descriptors or the service information software610, the service aggregator 614 combines individual services into linkedand aggregated services and applications. As mentioned above, theservice information software 610 includes service descriptors describinghow services can be utilized together. The service aggregator 614dynamically links these services and applications together based on theservice descriptions. Continuing the movie and location service examplefrom above, the movie service will have a service descriptor and thelocation service will have a service descriptor stored in the serviceinformation software 610. The service aggregator 614 examines theservice descriptor of the movies service and the service descriptor ofthe location service and determines that the two services can beutilized together. In addition, the service aggregator 614 can examinethe user information system 608 to determine whether the user might beinterested in an aggregated movie and location service.

[0079] The ranker filterer 616 ranks services for display to the userbased on the anticipated needs of the user. More particularly, theranker filterer 616 uses extensive historical usage data stored in theuser information system 608 is aggregated with contextual informationregarding the user, such as the user's geographical location, andbusiness model specific attributes attached to individual services, forexample demographic information about the suitability of a service foroffer to the user, to rank services. That is, the ranker filterer 616applies rules and algorithms to the above data to determine whichservices should be displayed in primary, secondary, and tertiarypositions on the screen of a particular user's mobile device. An icondisplayed in the primary position represents a service or applicationthat the ranker filterer 616 determines is most likely to be the nextservice or application that the user will utilize. Icons displayed inthe secondary position, which in one embodiment are displayed around theicon displayed in the primary position, represent services andapplications that are likely to be utilized, but not as likely as theicon displayed in the primary position. As described above, additionalicons available to the user are displayed in the tertiary position.

[0080] In addition, the ranker filterer 616 determines whether a serviceor application should spontaneously appear on the screen and otheraspects of the service or application. Further information on serviceranking can be found in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.60/460,052, entitled “Context Based Main Screen for Mobile Device,”filed Apr. 2, 2003, which is incorporated herein by reference, in itsentirety for all purposes.

[0081] The context module 618 keeps track of different aspects of theusers current context. For example, one aspect is the user's networkpresence, such as whether the user is currently using the network, hasjust lost a signal, been using the network since 5:00 a.m., is making acall, has their phone ringer off, etc. In addition, the context module618 keeps track of the users physical location, which can be, forexample, the zip code of the user's current location or the user'slongitude and latitude. Further, the context module 618 keeps track ofthe current time translated into the context the user is in, forexample, using the user's current time zone, such as Pacific or HongKong time. The context module 618 keeps track of the above informationfor all the subscribers on the system. As such, the carrier networkprovider can utilize this information to allow subscribers to keep trackof where other subscribers such as their friends are located, generallyutilizing proper security features facilitated by the identity module620.

[0082] The identity module 620 manages user authentication into thenetwork. When the user switches their mobile device on, the mobiledevice authenticates with the network. In order for the other functionalmodules in the system to securely perform the highly personalizedfunctions described thus far, the modules need to know a particularnetwork connection entering the system is authenticated as anappropriate user. For example, the modules need to know that aparticular packet of data is coming from a specific user, so thatspecific user's user information should be utilized to allow that userto interact with the network.

[0083] In addition, the identity module 620 performs translations fordifferent types of identity information. Carrier networks utilizevarious types of identity information. The highest level of identityinformation is that of an individual user, which includes the user'sbilling and personalization information. The lowest level of identityinformation is the MSI serial number on the user's mobile device. When amobile device connects to a carrier network, the mobile device isassigned an MSI serial number that represents that mobile device on thenetwork. The identity module 620 is capable of translating betweenspecific MSI serial numbers and the corresponding user information,which the MSI serial number represents.

[0084]FIG. 7A is a flowchart diagram that illustrates the methodoperations 700 performed in navigating in a context-based display, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7B is anexemplary mobile device 770, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. FIGS. 8A-8L show a mobile device display 800 inaccordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. FIGS.7B and 8A-8L are used to further illustrate the described methodoperations of FIG. 7A below.

[0085] In operation 705, a selector highlights a current icon. In FIG.8A, multiple icons 802, 804, 806, 808, 810 are shown in the main portion812 of the mobile device display 800. Icon 802 is shown highlighted suchas by having an illuminated outline around the icon, however, any methodof highlighting an icon can be used.

[0086] In operation 710, the selector moves to highlight another icon.FIG. 8B shows icon 804 being highlighted in the mobile device display800. As shown in FIG. 7B, a typical keypad 772 on a mobile device 770includes one or more navigation type key 774. The navigation type key774 can include an up and down arrow key(s) and/or a left and rightarrow key(s) that can be used to navigate the display 800. The selectorcan be a down arrow key so as to cause icon 804 to be highlightedinstead of icon 802. Similarly, a left arrow key could be used tohighlight icon 806. Due to the compact nature of the keypad 772, alimited number of navigation keys can be included.

[0087] The selector can be moved across the mobile device display 800,in operations 715 and 720, so as to highlight the tertiary tab 820.Highlighting the tertiary tab 820 opens a dynamically opened ordisplayed tertiary tray 830. The tertiary tray 830 can be openedinstantaneously or alternatively, can be opened in an animated sequencesuch as shown by the sequence illustrated in FIGS. 8C-8F. The tertiarytray 830 includes multiple icons 832, 834, 836, 838.

[0088] As shown in FIG. 8F, the tertiary tray 830 covers part of themain portion 812 of the display 800. Specifically, part of the icons 804and 810 and the respective descriptions are covered by the tertiary tray830. Stated in an alternative way, the tertiary tray is shown “on topof” the main portion 812.

[0089] In an alternative embodiment, opening the tertiary tray 830causes the main portion 812 to be rearranged and/or scaled. Rearrangingand/or scaling the main portion 812 allows both the tertiary tray 830and the icons 802, 804, 806, 808 and 810 to be fully displayed as shownin FIG. 8G. In another alternative embodiment, the tertiary tray 830 can“shift” main portion 812 upward to make room for the tertiary tray inthe display. Shifting the main portion 812 upward can cause the mainportion to appear to run off of the top edge of the display.

[0090] In yet another alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 8H, analternate tertiary tray 830′ is located on one side edge of the display800 rather than on the bottom edge. The tertiary tray 830′ includesicons 832, 834, 836, 838 oriented in a column rather than a row as shownin FIG. 8G above. Similarly, the tertiary tray 830 can shift mainportion 812 to one side, similar to shifting the main portion upward asdescribed above.

[0091] In still another alternative embodiment, the tertiary tray can bea static tray that is always displayed (e.g., as shown in FIGS. 8F-H,above) rather than a dynamic tray that is opened when the tray isselected as described in FIGS. 8A-8E above. The tertiary tray 830typically will have a single row or column of icons. However, the iconswithin the tertiary tray 830 can be arranged in multiple rows or columnsof icons.

[0092] The tertiary tray 830 can be located on any one or more edges ofthe display 800. By way of example, a first tertiary tray 830 can beopened (i.e., accessed) by navigating the selector to the bottom edge ofthe display 800. A second tertiary tray 830′ can be opened by navigatingthe selector to the right edge of the display. Alternatively, the firsttertiary tray 830 can be opened by navigating to a tertiary tab 820 thatcan be located anywhere on the display 800 (e.g., an edge, or otherdesignated portion of the display). The tertiary tab 820 can be any typeof mark or identifier and should not be limited to a tab shape as shownin the above referenced figures.

[0093] Referring again to FIG. 7A, in operation 730, the tertiary tray830 can be traversed to highlight a desired icon within the tertiarytray. FIGS. 8I-8L illustrate a sequence of traversing along the tertiarytray 830 such as with a right arrow navigation key 774 as shown in FIG.7B.

[0094]FIG. 9 is a flowchart diagram that illustrates the methodoperations 900 performed in navigating in a tertiary tray 830 in thecontext based display 800, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. Once the tertiary tray 830 has been opened such as inoperation 720 of FIG. 7A above, the selector can be used to navigatewithin the tertiary tray substantially similarly to navigating the mainportion 812 of the display 800.

[0095] In an operation 902, the selector highlights a current icon inthe tertiary tray 830 (e.g., icon 832 as shown in FIG. 8I). The selectorcan traverse the tertiary tray 830 to subsequent icons 834, 836, 838 andto the end of the tertiary tray as shown in FIGS. 8J-L above inoperations 904 and 906.

[0096]FIG. 10A shows an alternative embodiment of the tertiary tray 830that includes a scrolling capability (e.g., scroll arrows 840A, 840B),in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Thescrolling capability allows the tertiary tray 830 to include more iconsthan can be displayed in a single width (or height) of the tertiarytray.

[0097] In operation 908, selecting the right scrolling arrow 840A cancause the displayed icons 832, 834, 836, 838 to scroll left through thetertiary tray 830. Similarly, selecting the left scrolling arrow 840Bcan cause the displayed icons 832, 834, 836, 838 to scroll right throughthe tertiary tray 830.

[0098]FIG. 10B shows an additional icon 842 displayed in the tertiarytray 830, as the tertiary tray is scrolled, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. In this manner additional icons(e.g., icon 842) can be included in the tertiary tray 830. Theadditional icons can be shown incrementally as the tertiary tray scrollsto reveal them. In one embodiment, the tertiary tray 830 can includesubstantially all icons that can be shown in the display 800. Selectingan icon in the tertiary tray 830 can cause the selected icon to bedisplayed in the main portion of the display 800 as will be described inFIGS. 11 and 12A-12B. Alternatively, selecting an icon in the tertiarytray 830 can initiate the service or application represented by theicon.

[0099]FIG. 11 is a flowchart diagram that illustrates the methodoperations 1100 performed in selecting an icon 842 in the tertiary tray830, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Inoperation 1102 a highlighted icon 842 is selected. In operation 1104,the selected icon 842 is displayed in the main portion 812 of thedisplay screen.

[0100] FIGS. 12A-12C show alternative embodiments of selecting an icon842 in the tertiary tray 830 to be displayed in the main portion 812 ofthe display. In FIG. 12A selecting the icon 842 in the tertiary tray 830causes an icon 842′ to replace a previously displayed icon (e.g., icon806 as shown in FIG. 8A above) in the primary position in the mainportion 812 of the display 800. In FIG. 12B selecting the icon 842 inthe tertiary tray 830 causes the icon 842″ to replace a previouslydisplayed icon (e.g., icon 802 as shown in FIG. 8A above) in a secondaryposition in the main portion 812 of the display 800.

[0101] In FIG. 12C selecting the icon 842 in the tertiary tray 830displays icon 842′″ in the main portion 812 of the display 800 but thepreviously existing icons 802, 804, 806, 808, 810 are rearranged and/orscaled the make room for icon 842′″. While not illustrated in FIGS.12A-12C, displaying icons 842′, 842″, 842′″ in the main portion 812 ofthe display 800 can also cause the tertiary tray 830 to close orotherwise to not be displayed such as shown in FIG. 8A above.

[0102]FIG. 13 shows a device stack 1300 capable of supporting the userinterface display 800, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. The operating system (OS) layer 1305 includes a nativeoperating system and native hardware. A native application (native)layer 1310 resides on the OS layer 1305 and performs most nativefunctions (e.g., 10, networking, record management system). A userinterface (UI) layer 1315 resides on the native layer 1310. The userinterface layer 1315 provides a user interface to the native functionsand the native hardware. Several applications 1320A-E can reside on theUI layer 1315. The applications 1320A-E provide additional functionsthat may use the underlying layers 1305-1315 such as the interactivemobile device display 800 with multiple dynamic icons 802, 804, 806,808, 810 such as described above. An application manager layer 1325manages the various applications 1320A-E such as by allocating resourcesto the various applications.

[0103]FIG. 14 shows a device stack 1400 for a mobile device capable ofsupporting the user interface display 800, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. The native real time operatingsystem (OS) layer 1405 includes a native operating system and nativehardware. A native layer 1310 can also reside on the native real time OSlayer 1405. A CLDC layer 1430 can also reside on the native real time OSlayer 1405. A MIDP layer 1435 can reside on the CLDC layer 1430. TheCLDC layer 1430 and the MIDP layer 1435 are part of the J2M™ describedbelow. An application management system 1425 can manage both the Javaapplications 1440A-D and the native applications 1310. While the devicestack 1400 includes a Java implementation, it should be understood thatembodiments of the present invention may be implemented without Java.

[0104] The Java™ 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2M™) is the development anddeployment environment for enterprise software applications capable ofrunning on a variety of desktop computers, servers, and other computingdevices. The J2ME platform includes the Java 2 Software Development Kit,Standard Edition (SDK), and Java Runtime Environment (JRE).

[0105] The J2ME platform is a Java platform for consumer and embeddeddevices such as mobile phones, PDAs, TV set-top boxes, in-vehicletelematics systems, and a broad range of embedded devices. Similar tothe enterprise (J2E™), desktop (J2S™) and smart card (Java Card™)counterparts, the J2ME platform is a set of standard Java APIs definedthrough the Java Community Process^(SM) program by expert groups thatinclude leading device manufacturers, software vendors and serviceproviders.

[0106] The J2ME platform delivers the power and benefits of Javatechnology tailored for consumer and embedded devices. The J2ME providesa flexible user interface, robust security model, broad range ofbuilt-in network protocols, and support for networked and disconnectedapplications. J2ME, applications 1440A-D are written for a wide range ofdevices. The J2ME platform can be deployed on millions of devices (e.g.,mobile phones, PDAs, automotive devices, etc.) supported by leading Javatechnology tools vendors and used by companies worldwide. Brieflystated, J2ME is the preferable platform for consumer and embeddeddevices.

[0107] The SDK provides software programmers with the speed, securityand functionality to create cross-platform, mission criticalapplications. The JRE provides the execution environment needed to runJava platform-based applets and applications.

[0108] The J2ME architecture defines configurations, profiles andoptional packages as elements for building complete Java runtimeenvironments that meet the requirements for a broad range of devices andtarget markets. Each combination is optimized for the memory, processingpower, and I/O capabilities of a related category of devices. The resultis a common Java platform that fully leverages each type of device todeliver a rich user experience.

[0109] Configurations are composed of a virtual machine and a minimalset of class libraries. The configurations provide the basefunctionality for a particular range of devices that share similarcharacteristics (e.g., network connectivity, memory footprint, etc.).Currently, there are two J2ME configurations: the Connected LimitedDevice Configuration (CLDC) 1430, and the Connected Device Configuration(CDC).

[0110] The CLDC 1430 is the smaller of the two configurations, and byway of example, is designed for devices with intermittent networkconnections, slow processors, and limited memory (e.g., mobile phones,two-way pagers, PDAs, etc.). By way of example, the devices may haveeither 16- or 32-bit CPUs, and a minimum of 128 KB to 512 KB of memoryavailable for the Java platform implementation and the associatedapplications.

[0111] The CDC is designed for devices having more memory, fasterprocessors, and greater network bandwidth (e.g., TV set-top boxes,residential gateways, in-vehicle telematics systems, high-end PDAs,etc.). CDC includes a full-featured Java virtual machine, and a muchlarger subset of the J2SE platform than CLDC. As a result, mostCDC-targeted devices have 32-bit CPUs and a minimum of 2 MB of memoryavailable for the Java platform and associated applications.

[0112] In order to provide a complete runtime environment targeted atspecific device categories, configurations can be combined with a set ofhigher level APIs or profiles that further define the application lifecycle model, the user interface, and access to device specificproperties.

[0113] The Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP) 1435 is designed formobile phones and entry-level PDAs. Broadly speaking, MIDP 1435 can beused on any computing device that needs to take advantage of MDP'sfunctions. MIDP 1435 is a set of Java APIs which, together with CLDC1430, provides a complete J2ME application runtime environment targetedat mobile information devices, such as mobile phones and entry levelPDAs. In this manner, MIDP 1435 offers the core applicationfunctionality required by mobile applications (e.g., the user interface,network connectivity, local data storage, and application management,etc.). Combined with CLDC 1430, MIDP 1435 provides a substantiallycomplete Java runtime environment that leverages the capabilities ofhandheld devices and minimizes both memory and power consumption.

[0114] Currently, CLDC 1430, combined with the MIDP 1435 is the Javaruntime environment for mobile information devices (MIDs) (e.g., phones,entry level PDAs, etc.). MIDP 1435 provides the core applicationfunctionality required by mobile applications 1440A-D (e.g., the userinterface, network connectivity, local data storage, and applicationlifecycle management packaged as a standardized Java runtime environmentand set of Java APIs, etc.).

[0115] The CLDC 1430 can include profiles that are layered so thatprofiles can be added as needed to provide application functionality fordifferent types of devices. The Foundation Profile (FP) is the lowestlevel profile for CLDC and provides a network-capable implementation ofCLDC that can be used for deeply embedded implementations without a userinterface. FP can also be combined with Personal Basis Profile andPersonal Profile for devices that require a graphical user interface(GUI).

[0116] The Personal Profile (PP) is the CLDC profile aimed at devicesrequiring full GUI or Internet applet support (e.g., high-end PDAs,communicator-type devices, game consoles, etc.). PP includes the fullJava Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) libraries and offers Web fidelitycapable of easily running Web-based applets designed for use in adesktop environment. PP replaces PersonalJava™ technology and providesPersonalJava applications a clear migration path to the J2ME platform.

[0117] The Personal Basis Profile (PBP), is a subset of PP. PBP providesan application environment for network connected devices that support abasic level of graphical presentation or require the use of specializedgraphical toolkits for specific applications. Devices (e.g., TV set-topboxes, in-vehicle telematics systems, information kiosks, etc.) Both PPand PBP are layered on top of CLDC and FP.

[0118] The J2ME platform can be further extended by combining variousoptional packages with CLDC, CDC, and their corresponding profiles. Inthis manner, specific market requirements can be addressed. Furthermore,optional packages can offer standard APIs for using both existing andemerging technologies (e.g., Bluetooth, Web services, wirelessmessaging, multimedia, database connectivity, etc.). As optionalpackages are modular, device manufacturers can include the optionalpackages, as needed, to fully leverage the features of each device.

[0119] As used herein in connection with the description of theinvention, the term “about” means+/−10%. By way of example, the phrase“about 8:00 am” indicates a range of time between 7:00 am and 9:00 amand an amount of about 250 indicates a range of between 225 and 275.Although the present invention implements Java programming language inat least some embodiments, other programming languages may also be usedto implement the embodiments of the present invention (e.g., C, C₊₊, anyobject oriented programming language, etc.).

[0120] With the above embodiments in mind, it should be understood thatthe invention may employ various computer-implemented operationsinvolving data stored in computer systems. These operations are thoserequiring physical manipulation of physical quantities. Usually, thoughnot necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical ormagnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined,compared, and otherwise manipulated. Further, the manipulationsperformed are often referred to in terms, such as producing,identifying, determining, or comparing.

[0121] The invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on acomputer readable medium. The computer readable medium is any datastorage device that can store data that can thereafter be read by acomputer system. Examples of the computer readable medium include harddrives, network attached storage (NAS), read-only memory, random-accessmemory, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, magnetic tapes, and other optical andnon-optical data storage devices. The computer readable medium can alsobe distributed over a network coupled computer systems so that thecomputer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

[0122] It will be further appreciated that the instructions representedby the operations in FIGS. 7A, 9 and 11 are not required to be performedin the order illustrated, and that all the processing represented by theoperations may not be necessary to practice the invention. Further, theprocesses described in FIGS. 7A, 9 and 11 can also be implemented insoftware stored in any one of or combinations of the RAM, the ROM, orthe hard disk drive.

[0123] Although the foregoing invention has been described in somedetail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparentthat certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scopeof the appended claims. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is notto be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified withinthe scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of navigating a mobile device displaycomprising: highlighting a first icon in a main portion of the mobiledevice display; traversing the main portion to a tertiary tray, thetertiary tray including at least one scroll button and a second icon;and highlighting the second icon, wherein a single navigation key isused to traverse the main portion and to highlight the second icon. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the tertiary tray is adjacent to ahorizontal edge of the mobile device display.
 3. The method of claim 1,further comprising selecting the scroll button such that a third icon isdisplayed in the tertiary tray.
 4. The method of claim 3, whereinselecting the scroll button includes shifting the second icon.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein shifting the second icon includes notdisplaying the second icon in the tertiary tray.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein traversing the main portion to the tertiary tray includes:traversing the main portion to a tertiary tab; and opening the tertiarytray by highlighting the tertiary tab.
 7. The method of claim 6, whereinopening the tertiary tray includes covering at least part of the mainportion of the mobile device display.
 8. The method of claim 7, whereincovering at least part of the main portion of the mobile device displayincludes covering at least part of the first icon.
 9. The method ofclaim 6, wherein opening the tertiary tray includes rearranging at leastpart of the main portion of the mobile device display.
 10. The method ofclaim 6, wherein opening the tertiary tray includes scaling at leastpart of the main portion of the mobile device display.
 11. The method ofclaim 6, wherein opening the tertiary tray includes shifting at leastpart of the main portion of the mobile device display.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising selecting the second icon.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein selecting the second icon initiates an applicationcorresponding to the second icon.
 14. The method of claim 12, whereinselecting the second icon closes the tertiary tray.
 15. The method ofclaim 12, wherein selecting the second icon causes the second icon to bedisplayed in the main portion of the mobile device display.
 16. Themethod of claim 15, wherein displaying the second icon in the mainportion of the mobile device display includes removing the first iconfrom the main portion of the mobile device display.
 17. The method ofclaim 15, wherein displaying the second icon in the main portion of themobile device display includes moving the first icon in the main portionof the mobile device display.
 18. A mobile device display comprising: amain portion including a first icon, the first icon representing atleast one of a service and an application; and a tertiary tray includinga second icon and at least one scroll button wherein a single navigationkey is used to traverse the main portion to the second icon in thetertiary tray.
 19. The mobile device display of claim 18, wherein themain portion includes a first set of icons including the first icon andthe tertiary tray includes a second set of icons and wherein the firstset of icons is a subset of the second set of icons.
 20. The mobiledevice display of claim 18, further comprising a tertiary tab linked tothe tertiary tray.
 21. The mobile device display of claim 20, whereinthe tertiary tray is not displayed until the tertiary tab ishighlighted.
 22. The mobile device display of claim 18, wherein themobile device display is included in a mobile device.
 23. A method ofnavigating a mobile device display comprising: highlighting a first iconin a main portion of the mobile device display; traversing the mainportion to a tertiary tray including a second icon and at least onescroll button; highlighting the second icon, wherein a single navigationkey is used to traverse the main portion and to highlight the secondicon; traversing the tertiary tray to highlight the scroll button;selecting the scroll button such that a third icon is displayed in thetertiary tray; and selecting the third icon, wherein selecting the thirdicon initiates a corresponding application.